Only 50% of people owned a landline phone and nearly a third of families didn’t have a washing machine – 14% of us still didn’t have a fridge. And how we shopped was also very far removed from today’s desire for instant retail gratification.

Since then the pace of new technological advancements has meant our homes and living rooms have undergone considerable renovation.

As the average income rose and products became more accessible VCRs, home computers, games consoles, flat screen TVs and smart fridges have all appeared in UK homes.

But shopping was changing too, with retailers going out of town in the nineties and the advent of the internet revolutionising the world as we knew it.

Forty years ago Argos – a new concept in retailing at the time – launched in the UK with a catalogue in 1973 had just 250 pages offering 4,700 products. Fast forward to today, and the biannual tradition of picking up the Argos catalogue has been replaced with browsing websites on our computers and mobile phones.

So what do the next ten years hold in store for consumers as retailers evolve to keep up with our rising retail expectations?

To coincide with the brand’s anniversary The Future Foundation has released a report which looks at the sorts of technologies and products that a ‘Digital Family’ of the year 2023 may be using in the home.

From 3D printing in your kitchen to tactile technology that change the feel of its surface, what is clear is that our homes will need to become smarter and better connected.

Remote controlled ovens and coffee machines that make you a cup a little earlier because your commute is going to take longer than normal? Nothing but a sci-fi dream back in 1973.